giveaways

It’s no secret around the Simple household that I’m not too fond of dogs and cats. Not the animals themselves so much, but the thought of owning them, and spending my days with itchy eyes and a runny nose. I much prefer to read about them in books, which works out well because I was recently able to check out the kids books Max Spaniel: Funny Lunch, and Firehouse!

A little about the books

Funny Lunch is the story of a dog who thinks he is a chef. He and his cat Sous Chef whip up some culinary delights.

Firehouse follows a dog named Edward as he spends a day at a firehouse learning what it takes to be a firefighter.

**UPDATE: Somehow comments were inadvertently turned off. It should be fixed now...sorry.

When the opportunity came along to give away a few signed copies from the 39 Clues series, I wasn't sure that I wanted to participate. Princess P is a little young, all about princesses, and not so keen on adventures, unless they involve the Little Einsteins. Plus, I haven't had a chance to fully review the books. However, during my research, I found enough positive (and a little negative) comments to feel comfortable putting the books up on simplefahter.com.

When I think of graphic novels, what usually comes to mind are two of my favorites, Watchmen and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. I enjoy the dark, gritty feel of the characters, whose flaws play just as big a part as their admirable qualities. So... when the opportunity arose to check out a book that was billed as part novel, part graphic novel, with a rather grim story, I decided to check it out.

Are you reading this at 1am on your Blackberry while trying to quiet a screaming child who refuses to sleep? Or maybe after an exhausting day you have a hard time falling asleep. Then you may be in luck.

When we put Special K to bed, she shifts around for about 10 seconds before she's out like a light. However, with Princess P it's a whole different ball game. After tucking her into bed it may take her up to 2 hours to fall asleep. So, when the opportunity arose to test a product that could shorten her 2 hour cool down period, I was intrigued.

When I was growing up, some of my favorite 'books' were put out by Klutz. So when the opportunity arose to check out their new Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I was curious too see if the books were still top notch.